1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to snare drums, and more particularly, to snare drums having parallel snares uniformly mounted by parallel, closely-spaced strainers.
2. Description of Related Art
The snare drum is a well-known percussion musical instrument. FIG. 11 illustrates one example of the structure of a conventional snare drum is that disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application, Second Publication, No. 55-19995. In FIG. 11, the snare drum 1 is viewed obliquely from below, so as to illustrate the snare mechanism thereof at the lower surface and at a portion of the side of the snare drum 1. The snare drum 1 includes a hollow cylindrical drum body 2, upper and lower drum heads 3 fitted over the openings formed at the upper and lower ends of the drum body 2. Upper and lower rims 4 are provided which engage the peripheral edge of the upper and lower drum heads 3, respectively, and which are connected together via multiple lugs 5 arranged around the outer surface of the drum body 2 and a pair of threaded nuts 6 for each lug 5. Each lug 5 is engaged with each nut of its corresponding pair of the nuts 6 by means of a thread around the lug 5 and a threaded hole in the nut 6. By means of this arrangement, each lug 5 and corresponding pair of the nuts 6 act to pull the upper and lower rims 4 toward each other, thereby applying and maintaining centrifugally directed tension to the upper and lower drum heads 3 along the peripheral edges thereof.
The snare drum 1 further includes snares 7 and 8 provided above the outer surface of the lower drum head 3 in FIG. 11. The snares 7 and 8 are each constructed from a snare element 9 or 10, respectively, consisting of multiple parallel strands of gut string or coiled metal wires (snappy wire), a metal retainer 11 at each end of each of the snare elements 9 or 10, and a braid 12 for each metal retainer 11 whereby each metal retainer 11 is connected with the drum body 2 via a corresponding snare strainer 13, respectively.
The two braids 12 at the ends of the snare 7 and those at the ends of the snare 8 each connect with the outer surface of the drum body 2 via the corresponding snare strainer 13 after first passing through a corresponding opening 4.sub.a for each provided in the lower rim 4. The snare strainers 13 at the ends of the snares 7 and 8 are each mounted on the side of the drum body 2 at approximately the mid-position between an adjacent pair of the lugs 5, with the lug 5 intervening between the pair of the snare strainers 13 at each side of the snare drum 1. The snare strainer 13 at one or both ends of each of the snares 7 and 8 is further provided with a rotatable lever 14 whereby the position of the snare elements 9 and 10 of the snares 7 and 8, respectively, can each be independently adjusted relative to the outer surface of the lower drum head 3, thereby making it possible to move one or both of the snare elements 9 and 10 into contact with or away from the outer surface of the lower drum head 3. By this means, it is possible to generate two or more different types of sound with the snare drum 1.
When the corresponding levers 14 are rotated so as to move the snare elements 9 and 10 of the snares 7 and 8 into contact with the outer surface of the lower drum head 3, the snare elements 9 and 10 vibrate in unison with the lower drum head 3 causing production of a metallic rattling sound. Conversely, when both of the levers 14 are rotated so as to move the snare elements 9 and 10 away from the outer surface of the lower drum head 3, a normal drum sound is produced. By selecting the multiple strands from which the snare elements 9 and 10 are constructed so that those of the snare element 9 and those of snare element 10 have different diameters and/or physical properties, and/or so that the number thereof is different for the snare elements 9 and 10, different timbres can be achieved depending on whether the snare element 9, the snare element 10, or both, are in contact with the outer surface of the lower drum head 3. By alternatively handling each of the levers 14 on the snare strainers 13, the position of the snare elements 9 and 10 can be independently adjusted, thus making it possible to achieve varying timbres during performance.
With the conventional snare drum 1 as thus described, however, because the snare strainers 13 at the ends of the snares 7 and 8 are each mounted on the side of the drum body 2 at the approximate mid-position between an adjacent pair of the lugs 5, with the lug 5 intervening between the pair of the snare strainers 13 at each side of the snare drum 1, there tends to be a significant gap between the snare elements 9 and 10. For the same reason, a player cannot simultaneously operate both of the levers 14 on both of the snare strainers 13 during performance. In addition, for the same reason, the snare elements 9 and 10 are significantly displaced from the center of the snare drum head 3.
Additionally, because two openings 4.sub.a are formed in the lower rim 4 at the approximate mid-position between the adjacent pair of the lugs 5, the flexural rigidity of the lower rim 4 at this position is not good. For this reason, an intervening lug 5 between the snare strainers 13 exerts a different force on the lower and upper rims 4 than do the other lugs 5. Accordingly, accurate adjustment of the tension applied to the drum heads 4 so as to achieve uniform tension around the snare drum 1 is very difficult. Consequently, the sound produced by each such snare drum 1 is likely to differ from that produced by other seemingly identical drums. Additionally, the clarity and sharpness of sound which is desirable for snare drums is not readily achieved.
Furthermore, in the conventional snare drum 1, because the snare strainers 13 are not symmetrical with respect to an intervening lug 5 as shown in FIG. 11, the snares 7 and 8 are not symmetrical with respect to an intervening diameter of the drum head 3. Additionally, the snare strainers 13 are mounted directly on the drum body 2. This places the snare strainers 13 at an angle relative to each other and to the snares 7 and 8. Consequently, the braids 12 extending from the metal retainers 11 at the ends of the snares 7 and 8 must extend at angles relative to the snares 7 and 8 and through the openings 4.sub.a in the rims 4 to the snare strainer 13. A further problem arises from the fact that the snares 7 and 8 are not equidistantly spaced from an intervening diameter of the lower drum head 3. Consequently, the lengths of the braids 12 are different, as are the angles of attachment to the snare strainers 13. Accordingly, because of the consequent differing spatial relation between the snare strainers 13 for the snare 7 or 8 lying closer to a diameter of the drum body 2 and those for the snare 7 or 8 lying relatively farther from the same diameter of the drum body 2, the angles formed between two of the snare strainers 13 and their corresponding snare element 9 or 10, and the angles formed between the other two snare strainers 13 and their corresponding snare element 9 or 10 are different. Consequently, the effect of operation of the levers 14 on different snare strainers 13 are likely to differ in terms of movement of the snare elements 9 and 10 away from or toward the surface of the lower drum head 3. Thus, even and reproducible adjustment of the position of the snare elements 9 and 10 is difficult to achieve. For this reason, it is difficult to insure that the snare element 9 or 10 is fully in contact with the surface of the lower drum head 3 or is fully separated from the lower drum head 3 when such is desired, making it more difficult to play this kind of snare drum 1 so as to achieve the desired sound effects.
FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrate one example of the structure of a conventional combination-type musical instrument which has been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,653,570. This combination-type musical instrument is made up of a percussion instrument mixed with a stringed instrument. FIG. 12 is a plan view of the mixed type of musical instrument and FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line A--A of FIG. 12. In FIGS. 12 and 13, the combination-type musical instrument has a shell 20, a bottom drum head 21, a top drum head 22, leg supports 23, and marginal drum head tension elements 24. Components 20 through 24, except the leg supports 23 in FIGS. 12 and 13, respectively, correspond to the drum body 1, the lower and upper drum heads 3, and components including the lugs 5 and the bolts 6 in FIG. 11. String anchor blocks 25 and 26 are mounted on diametrically opposite sides of the shell 20. A string anchor 27 is mounted on the string anchor block 25, to which each one end of a series of strings 28 through 31 is attached. Each another end of the strings 28 through 31 is connected to tuning posts 32 adjustable to be turned by keys 33 mounted in the string anchor block 26. In order to withstand the strain on the shell 20 due to the action of the strings 28 through 31, the shell 20 is braced with a strut 34 running parallel to, and midway of, the strings 28 through 31 and connected to the shell 20 at points opposite the center of the string anchor blocks 25 and 26. Bridges 35 through 38 are provided on the top drum head 22 in order that the strings 28 through 31 are supported on the top drum head 22 as a resonating body. The above-mentioned drum type of musical instrument is played by striking the strings 28 through 31 with a hammer, by picking, or by bowing according to the quantity of tone desired to be produced in the same way as a dulcimer or a cymbalon.
The above-mentioned conventional combination-type musical instrument is played in the same way as the dulcimer or the cymbalon of which the strings are, for example, struck with the hammer, but is not played in the same way as a snare drum in which the upper drum head is struck with drumsticks. In the above-mentioned conventional combination-type musical instrument, the tuning posts 32 are adjustable to be turned by the keys 33. However, the keys 33 are used for adjusting the tension of the strings 28 through 31 between the bridges, but not used for changing timbres during performance. Therefore, the strings 28 through 31 are not provided so that they move into contact with or away from the outer surface of the top drum head 22 during performance.